This past August I began my fourth semester at community college and I would say I'm a fairly good student. I've done very well throughout my semesters in college, though my third semester was a different story. Last spring semester I took three of my classes completely online, and after that semester I have vowed to never take another class online for the rest of my academic career.
When I first decided to sign up for classes online I was extremely naive about what they really entailed. I signed up for classes online mainly because I had waited so long to sign up for classes in general and I was having trouble finding anything to fit my schedule. I took these classes with the idea that they would be convenient, and for who knows what reason I also thought they would be easier. I have never been more wrong.
Online classes certainly are no where near easy, and (depending on your professor) not very convenient. With a Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and sometimes even Friday deadline each week, it became extremely difficult to keep up. It was far from convenient when I had to access the class online more often than I would go to a class on campus. Not to mention when you have a deadline you need to meet, and technical difficulties come your way.
My biggest problem with taking a class online is the lack of communication and sociable settings. It's difficult to feel motivated to do your best when you're sitting on a computer all day, while on the couch in your PJ's. When you're taking a class online and required to answer questions four students have asked, and then ask your own after reading some material, it makes it extremely difficult to bounce ideas off of fresh and different perspectives. There's no personal feeling to the class and the material being learned.
These classes are also incredibly difficult because to an extent it's almost as if you're teaching yourself the material. There is no meeting time to sit down and dive into the material, no time to analyze the information and ask questions.
Online classes are so much more difficult than taking a class on campus, and I would never say that staying in bed is worth the trouble that an online class can give you. Classes through the computer may actually work for some people but they are definitly not for everyone, and I will never take one again.
